The U.S. Justice Department filed a criminal complaint against Dugan, alleging she refused to hand over Eduardo Flores-Ruiz when immigration agents came to arrest him in her courtroom on 18 April.
Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County circuit judge, was arrested at her courthouse on Friday morning by United States Marshals.
She is accused of obstructing immigration enforcement efforts in what appears to be part of a broader clash between local authorities and the Donald Trump administration’s stance on immigration, Thepeople’s insight reports.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a criminal complaint against Dugan, alleging she refused to hand over Eduardo Flores-Ruiz when immigration agents came to arrest him in her courtroom on 18 April.
Instead, the complaint says she allowed him to leave through a jury door to avoid detention.
Dugan now faces federal charges of obstructing a proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent arrest.
“She became visibly angry” and described the situation as “absurd” upon learning immigration officers were present to arrest Flores-Ruiz, according to the complaint.
The document further alleges that Dugan directed the officers to speak with the chief judge and then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a private area of the courthouse.
Wisconsin court records indicate Flores-Ruiz was facing misdemeanor battery charges related to domestic abuse on the date in question.
Carl Ashley, the chief judge of the Milwaukee court, declined to comment.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, citing unnamed sources, reported that Dugan directed Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer through a private hallway to a public area but denied claims she hid them in a jury deliberation room.
FBI Director, Kash Patel, stated on social media that the bureau had arrested Dugan for interfering with Flores-Ruiz’s arrest, referring to him as an “illegal alien now in custody.” The post was later deleted.
Outside the courthouse, demonstrators gathered in support of the judge, chanting “free the judge now” as she was taken into custody. She was scheduled to appear in federal court later that same day.
Dugan, elected in 2016, previously headed the local Catholic Charities branch and earlier worked as a lawyer for the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, representing low-income clients.
The arrest follows the Justice Department’s directive to prosecute local officials obstructing federal immigration actions, a policy widely resisted during Trump’s first term in office from 2017 to 2021.
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